Why Aaron Rodgers' meetings with the Jets might not be what it appears to be
Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has spoken with the New York Jets this week
Business is picking up in the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes.
Well, maybe it is.
Rodgers has spoken with the New York Jets this week with permission from the Green Bay Packers.
This news would seem to indicate that Rodgers is on the verge of leaving Green Bay and heading to New York.
And while that's certainly possible, there's some evidence that suggests that might not be what Rodgers is actually doing this week.
A couple of weeks ago, Rodgers mentioned to Pat McAfee that he's never gone through the free agent process and he wondered what it would be like. He also wasn't really recruited coming out of high school, so he's never been "on the market" and experienced that process.
Rodgers doesn't shy away from attention — I don't think anyone will dispute that.
So perhaps he's just going through this process to see what it's like. He can get wined and dined for the first time in his career. Or knowing Rodgers, he's going to make the Jets brass go camping in the mountains of California for a few days…which would be objectively hilarious.
I have a strong hunch that this is all a charade with the only purpose being that Rodgers just wants the free-agent experience before eventually returning to the Packers.
Because here's the thing — Green Bay isn't going to just give Rodgers away. Not when they'll have to take on a $40 million dead cap hit (and lose $8 million in cap space) if they trade him. That means whichever team Rodgers goes to is going to have to give up some serious draft capital to land the future Hall of Famer. And then they won't be in a great position to improve the team (via the draft) this offseason or next offseason.
I know it feels like this is trending toward Rodgers playing for the Jets in 2023, but I still have a gut feeling that he's in a Packers uniform this fall.
